A6120
| A6120 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| From: | New Pudsey (SE209344) | |||
| To: | Colton (SE377330) | |||
| Via: | Horsforth, Moor Allerton, Monkswood | |||
| Distance: | 14.6 miles (23.5 km) | |||
| Meets: | A647, B6157, B6156, A657, A65, A660, A61, A58, A64, B6159, M1, A63 | |||
| Primary Destinations | ||||
| Highway Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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The A6120 forms the northern side of the Leeds Outer Ring Road. It is a notoriously busy road which did not see much improvement from the 1960s until the opening of the East Leeds Orbital Road in 2022. Leeds City Council had carried out a consultation on a range of proposals for the road in about 2004.
Route
The route starts at Dawsons Corner roundabout on the A647 just to the north of New Pudsey station. It begins as an S2 road heading northeast through open country, although the outskirts of Leeds are visible to the right. The road descends gently to cross the A657 at a roundabout then goes over the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the River Aire, and the Airedale Line in quick succession. Shortly afterwards another roundabout is met where we cross the A65.
The A6120 now heads eastwards and becomes more winding and more built-up: there are now buildings fronting our road. We pass to the south of Horsforth, then a brief rural section takes us under the Harrogate Line. Shortly afterwards the road becomes dual (but remains residential). The A660 is crossed at a roundabout and the road continues east through the northern suburbs with occasional rural sections; this section of the road runs between suburbs rather than through them.
The A61 is crossed at a roundabout after which the road becomes S2 once more. It enters open country as it bears gently round to the right. We climb to a summit before dropping down again to a new roundabout which marks the start of the East Leeds Orbital Route - a high quality dual carriageway around the east of Leeds, which terminates on the M1 at Austhorpe Interchange.
The old ring road has been renumbered B6902.
Opening Dates Timeline
| Location | Historic County | Date | Distance | Notes | Location Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Road (A647) to Rodley Lane (A657) | Yorkshire | 1962 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Shown as under construction on the March 1960 OS Quarter inch and October 1961 One inch maps. It may have opened in 1961. It completed the northern section of the Ring Road from Bradford Road to Selby Road (of which the first section had opened in 1923). | |
| Rodley Lane (A657) to Rawdon Road, Horsforth (A65) | Yorkshire | 1933 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | Opened on 24 October 1933 by Oliver Stanley, Minister of Transport. Described as the Calverley and Horsforth New Road, the 1 mile road crossed the Aire Valley. Cost £164,000. It may possibly have opened without the number since the Ring Road did not continue northwards at that stage. It was numbered on the OS Six inch map, revised 1938. | |
| Rawdon Road, Horsforth (A65) to Otley Road (A660) | Yorkshire | 1937 | 2.5 miles (4 km) | Described as completed in a report in the 1 September 1937 Leeds Mercury, following completion of the railway bridge in that year. The road sections to either side of the bridge had been built for some time, including parts shown on the OS Six inch map, revised 1934. The section between Spen Lane and Otley Road had been constructed by 1933. It completed the Ring Road from A657 at Rodley to A63 at Austhorpe, albeit with diversions between Harrogate Road to Shadwell Lane and through Seacroft village. | |
| Otley Road to Weetwood Lane | Yorkshire | 1923 | 0.6 miles (1 km) | Reported as a completed by the 12 March 1923 Yorkshire Post. The first section to be opened. Forecast cost £20,937. | |
| Weetwood Lane to Bywater Farm | Yorkshire | 1969 | 0.6 miles (1 km) | Shown on the February 1970 OS One inch map. Not on March 1969 Quarter inch map. It may have opened in 1970. It bypassed the dogleg via Smithy Mills Lane that was left between the 1923 and 1926 built sections. | |
| Bywater Farm to Tongue Lane | Yorkshire | 1926 | 0.5 miles (0.7 km) | Smithy Mills Lane to Tongue Lane was reported as having opened by the 17 August 1926 Yorkshire Post. The Smithy Mills Lane to Bywater Farm section was bypassed in 1969 or 1970 to remove the dogleg from Weetwood Lane. | |
| Tongue Lane to Harrogate Road | Yorkshire | 1923 | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | Reported as a completed by the 4 October 1923 Leeds Mercury. | |
| Harrogate Road to Shadwell Lane | Yorkshire | 1939 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | It had opened by 20 March 1939, having been still to open at 31 December 1938. 100 foot wide with 22 foot dual carriageways, 26 foot central reservation and flanked by footways and verges. Forecast cost was £18,600. | |
| Shadwell Lane to Roundhay Park Lane | Yorkshire | 1924 | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | Reported as finished or nearing completion by the 21 August 1924 Yorkshire Post | |
| Roundhay Park Lane to Red Hall Roundabout | Yorkshire | 1926 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | Roundhay Park Lane to Wetherby Road was officially opened on 14 July 1926 by Charles Lupton, Chairman of the Corporation Improvements Committee. The section from Red Hall Roundabout to Wetherby Road was bypassed by the East Leeds Orbital Road which opened on 22 August 2022. | |
| Red Hall Roundabout to M1 J46 Austhorpe Interchange | Yorkshire | 2022 | 4.8 miles (7.7 km) | East Leeds Orbital Road - the dual carriageway was opened on 22 August 2022 by James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, and Helen Hayden, Executive member for infrastructure and climate. A short section east of Manston Lane Roundabout had opened in 2018 and 2019. It had 8.7 miles of dedicated cycleways, pedestrian, and equestrian pathways. Contractor was Balfour Beatty, cost £126 million. |
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